The NBA world held its collective breath when Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic went down with an injury near the end of the team’s final game of the regular season.
Doncic, in his fourth season with the team, averaged 28.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 9.1 rebounds. The Mavs’ key player, Doncic has led the team to the league’s fifth-best record, and is considered a fringe MVP candidate.
The Mavericks have yet to come forward with any timetable for Doncic injury, but fellow Maverick Jalen Brunson has an optimistic outlook on the situation.
When asked about Luka’s return, Brunson said “for some reason I feel like he’ll be ready to go, knowing the competitor he is.”
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The ultra-competitive Doncic does have a history of playing through injury already throughout his short career. In the 2020 NBA Playoffs, he played through a sprained ankle in the Dallas Mavericks’ first-round series against the Clippers. He averaged 31 points, 8.7 assists, and 9.8 rebounds in the Mavericks’ six-game series loss.
Should Doncic be able to play injured, Brunson is probably right to guess that he will play. Only a very concerning MRI result would likely keep him out for the NBA playoffs after such a strong season for Dallas.
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Dallas has a first-round match-up with the Utah Jazz in the 4-seed vs. 5-seed portion of the bracket. They will have home-court advantage, which could give them a needed boost if Doncic is to miss time.
If the Mavericks advance into the second round, they likely will have a match-up with the defending Western Conference champions, the Phoenix Suns. Dallas will certainly need their star for that series to have any chance of advancing further.
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The Dallas Mavericks are about as much of a one-man show as it gets, as Luka Doncic led the NBA in usage percentage this season. To salvage any championship hopes for this year, Mavericks fans can only hope that Jalen Brunson was spot on with his optimistic view.
